The Power of Movement

How do we provide respect, build self-confidence, and trust with our youngest generation?

One way is through the power of movement. Allowing infants to self-explore their first movements and learn how their body works in an unconstrained space sends them a message that what they are doing is important and valued.

When infants are given the space and time to move freely they are able to begin to understand how their body can work and build the core muscles that are needed for later movements like rolling, sitting up, and crawling. Adults can’t run a marathon without conditioning and training, and infants are the same. They cannot learn to scoot, crawl, and walk with confidence without the time and space to make those body and movement connections.

We have created a culture of convenience. For infants this means more time in containers (bouncy seats, walkers, highchairs, and car seats), and less time to explore the way they are wired to. Restraining an infants natural movement not only limits an infants ability to move with confidence, but it also puts a child in a position, many times, that their body in not ready to support (otherwise they would be putting themselves in that position on their own).

Where do we go from here? How can we respect natural movement for infants?

Give your infant a safe space in your home (or outside on a blanket) where they can explore freely

An infant’s first toy is their hands, so the number of objects for a child can be limited (many times only one item is needed like a block or a small piece of fabric)